"Half?" Chen Anyan's lips curled into a slightly mocking smile, yet his tone remained innocent. "Where are they now?"
Wei Xuan's face immediately turned ugly.
Yes... Fang Jin and Jiang Lele's people are still here. Only Zhou Yang, who came later, left their 'meeting' members, but... where are the rest?
Why have all these people disappeared since Chi Li arrived?
"If they're still alive, I don't need you anymore." Xie Weishui's expression didn't change much. "... You don't need to be so sarcastic."
"Where did I sound sarcastic?" Chen Anyan nestled into the armchair, pulled out his phone from his pocket, and idly scrolled through it. "I just wanted to remind you that if you keep using your old, clichéd script, you'll never have a chance to turn things around."
"Your top priority right now," he said, showing Xie Weishui his phone, "Is to slowly salvage your nearly destroyed reputation."
Xie Weishui got up and leaned closer to look at the screen.
This is a post that has generated quite a bit of discussion. The title is. "My ideal love isn't dead, but he seems to be rotting."
The post never mentioned Xie Weishui's real name, but almost everyone knew that the "white moonlight" mentioned in the post was him.
Getting involved with Zhou Yang led to her breaking up with Fang Jin. She used clumsy methods to seduce Shen Qiang, got slapped by her "best friend," and deliberately stirred up topics related to "motherly love" to disgust Chi Li.
With multiple events piling up, even his longtime fans gradually began to feel disappointed.
"Still not awake?" Chen Anyan put away his phone, looking leisurely at the distraught Xie Weishui in front of him. "No matter what script it is, it's useless now. If you keep trying to create a CP (couple pairing) now, it will only deepen the audience's dislike for you, and it will also drag down the people who are doing the CP with you."
Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly.
Xie Weishui was blinded by his constant losses and kept thinking about how to turn the tide, but in reality, no matter what he did, it was all in vain.
"... Is that so?" Xie Weishui lowered her eyes, returning to her seat somewhat dejectedly. The spirit that had just been ignited within her vanished instantly. "... So, whatever I do now is wrong, right?"
"What can we do? The audience already has a negative view of you, and everything you say and do will be magnified and interpreted." Chen Anyan spread his hands helplessly. "My advice to you is... to stay put and not say or do anything unnecessary in front of Chi Li. Wait until the judgment on you subsides before thinking about the script."
He really didn't want to get involved with Xie Weishui. He had only agreed to the request from her agent as a way to ensure his smooth entry into the Raising House.
Here's a sincere piece of advice for Xie Weishui: consider it repaying the favor of that insurance policy.
"You..." Wei Xuan wanted to retort, but couldn't find any words to refute it. "... You really have a nasty way of speaking."
"Do you want to hear the truth, or just nice words?" Chen Anyan had nothing nice to say to Wei Xuan, who was practically invisible. "Believe it or not, if he pulls another clumsy script, he'll end up like that Zhou Yang."
Wei Xuan asked anxiously, "Then..."
"... Stop talking." Xie Weishui interrupted Wei Xuan, stopping him from saying anything pointless. "His suggestion is good, I will... listen to it."
After being humiliated by Chi Li again regarding the gift, he had already begun to consider backing down.
His plan to back down was to avoid opposing Chi Li, not to frame Chi Li, and to peacefully sell new CP with Chen Anyan. He never imagined... that he wouldn't even be able to sell a CP anymore.
Chen Anyan was unlike Fang Jin, who was forced to cooperate and didn't want to care too much; unlike Jiang Lele, who lacked her own opinions; and unlike Wei Xuan, who was easily fooled.
He has his own ambitions, plans, and considerations. He won't be swayed by seemingly plausible words or willingly become a pawn in someone else's game.
To put it bluntly, he had no intention of cooperating with me at all.
If we cooperate, he will only be a player, not a pawn.
"It's good that you've figured it out." Chen Anyan smiled, quite pleased with Xie Weishui's 'pragmatism,' "She's not as stupid as I thought."
Since there was no possibility of cooperation, Xie Weishui didn't bother to talk to him anymore. "That's enough, you can go back now. We'll talk again when there's a more suitable opportunity."
Although I don't like this person, there's no need to ruin things.
"Okay." Chen Anyan thought the same thing. He stood up and walked casually towards the door. "Let's talk about it later."
Bang--
With a bang of the door, silence returned to the room.
Wei Xuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something to comfort Xie Weishui, but he didn't know how.
"No need to comfort me." Xie Weishui naturally knew what he was thinking. "I just... need to rest for a while."
These days, he was already physically and mentally exhausted.
Wei Xuan disapproved of Chen Anyan's way of speaking, but he supported Xie Weishui's decision to 'take a break'.
"Okay, get yourself in the right state of mind."
The Raising House enjoyed a period of peace and tranquility.
To prevent the children from staging any kind of send-off ceremony, Shen Qiang, whose lease was about to expire, secretly left alone under the cover of night.
Of course, before leaving, he still inquired about his brother's romantic progress.
... although the younger brother didn't say it.
Jiang Lele was slightly emojiured for a while because her idol left without saying goodbye, until--
The pickled cucumbers he ordered online arrived.
He unpacked the pickled cucumbers at the courier point, put them in a bowl, rushed to the KTV, and brought them to Chi Li, who was practicing singing.
To maintain a fresh experience for participants in the singing competition, the Raising House temporarily shut down the live broadcast of the karaoke room.
" Chi Li." He shook a toothpick from the toothpick box and stuck it into a pickled cucumber. "Are you tired of singing? Here, have something to eat."
Chi Li looked puzzled and forked a piece of pickled cucumber into her mouth. "Didn't we already finish the pickled cucumbers Chen Anyan brought? Why did he give you some separately?"
In order not to waste his mother's good intentions, everyone has been eating very hard these past few days, with Jiang Lele eating especially a lot.
Seeing that he really enjoys it, it's not impossible to give him some more separately.
"These aren't the pickled cucumbers his mother made!" Jiang Lele snorted. "I bought them online specifically for him!"
"... Ah." Chi Li put down the toothpick, instantly understanding why Jiang Lele had rushed over to let him taste it. "You mean to say that the pickled cucumbers he gave as a gift weren't actually made by his mother, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Lele nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "How so? The shape, color, and taste are exactly the same, aren't they?"